Jughead's Secret
by NoPleaseStayHere
Summary: Betty finds Jughead sleeping at school. He tells her his secret. Naps ensue. Fluff.


Jughead's eyes cracked open once again. He hadn't been sleeping very well. He hadn't had a good night of sleep in as long as he could remember. But the past two nights had been particularly brutal. The cold, hard tile of the school hadn't been forgiving to his back, and he didn't have a real pillow.

The janitors didn't leave until late at night, and a different group of them came back early in the morning to wax the floors and open the school.

Sleeping at the school, no matter how uncomfortable, had been pretty easy. He and Betty had been working on The Blue and Gold, and Betty left before him. When he heard the janitor getting close - to make sure everyone was out of the school, he assumed - he hid in the tiny closet the newspaper office had in the corner.

 _Wait, shit._ Jughead thought as he heard footsteps approaching the door.

When he was sleeping at the Drive-In, he didn't have to worry about carrying extra clothes around. But now that it was being torn down, he had to carry everything he owned around with him - which meant hoping that nobody would see the giant bag at the bottom of his locker.

That night, he had slept curled up on the floor. He left his big bag in his locker, just in case. He thought ahead and had taken a wrinkled t-shirt out of the bottom of the large bag, as well as his stick of deodorant and tooth brush, and brought them into the office last night with his laptop.

He scrambled up to his feet as he saw the shadow of shoes beneath the door.

He looked around behind him at where he had rolled up his sweater as a make-shift pillow, and flannel tossed aside from yesterday - thank God he slept in his jeans and suspenders - and there was a crumpled wrapper from a granola bar on the floor next to his closed laptop.

Jughead scrambled to tug on the other t-shirt he had brought with him, not wanting whoever this was to see him in the same clothes as yesterday. He managed to tug the hole over his head just as he heard the door opening. He slipped the suspenders over his shoulders.

"Jughead?" Betty said astonishedly. "I thought _I_ was getting an early start." She laughed. Her laugh came out fumbling, falling from her mouth more awkwardly than intended as she surveyed the scene around her.

"Yeah," Jughead agreed, happy for the sudden excuse. "I, I was just getting an early start." He tugged the t-shirt lower over his abdomen, hoping he could pull out some of the wrinkles.

Right on cue, Jughead yawned.

Betty swallowed hard. "Juggie..."

Jughead kept his head down, not wanting to meet her eyes. "Y'know, I've already been at it for a while and I was going to go grab breakfast before the masses get here." He trailed off, walking over to grab his laptop from the floor, tucking it under his elbow.

He shrugged his jacket on, tied his flannel around his waist and put his hat on over his unruly hair.

Betty was choking back the words - surely this couldn't be what it looked like. Jughead hadn't slept here last night - he couldn't have. Someone made sure all the students left at night, didn't they?

Betty took a step closer to Jughead as he tightened the flannel around his waist. She gingerly put a hand on his shoulder.

Jughead sighed and stared at his feet, dreading the conversation that was sure to start.

"Juggie... can I come to breakfast with you?" Betty asked.

Jughead's head popped up to look at Betty. That was not what he was expecting.

A slow, cautious smile spread across his face. "If you want. Just let me stash my laptop in my locker." Jughead yawned again.

Betty nodded, reached up, and straightened Jughead's beanie. "I'll meet you at the front doors."

Jughead nodded, thankful that she hadn't walked with him to his locker.

* * *

Pop Tate's didn't open for another four and a half hours, so they walked down the street to the nearest McDonald's. The made small talk, neither one of them knowing how to approach a real conversation.

They reached the Golden Arches just as a slight drizzle started coming down around them.

"What are you in the mood for?" Betty asked Jughead as they waited behind an elderly couple in line.

 _More like, what do I have the money for?_ Jughead thought. He probably had seven dollars on him, and another twenty in his locker. And who knew how long that had to last him?

"I'm not too hungry," Jughead said turning to Betty. He still couldn't look her directly in the eye, worried about what she thought about seeing him in the office this morning. "Coffee, for sure. Maybe a sandwich."

Betty slid up to the counter once it was her turn. She knew Jughead didn't have to words 'not too hungry' in his vocabulary.

She smiled at the person working the cash. "Can I please have two large coffees, one black, one two milk and two sugar. Can I make one of them a meal with -" Betty turned to look at Jughead. "- do you want bacon or sausage?"

Jughead grimaced. "Betty, I can't-" _afford all that_ he thought.

"Bacon or sausage?" Betty interrupted him.

"Surprise me." He murmured.

Betty turned back to the cashier. "Can I get it with a bacon egg Mcmuffin meal with one of those coffees? And I'll take a hotcakes, too, please. And a sausage egg Mcmuffin on the side."

"Sure, is that everything?" The cashier asked.

Betty nodded.

"For here or to go?"

Betty looked down at her watch. "For here, please."

The cashier told her their total, and Betty handed over a twenty.

"Betty, you didn't have to do that." Jughead protested, a yawn escaping. "It was my idea for breakfast."

"It was my idea to tag along, so just go with it." Betty smiled.

Jughead grabbed ketchup and napkins, then met Betty back at the counter just as the food was ready for them.

They sat at a booth, nobody around them.

Betty uncapped her milky coffee, blowing on the hot liquid as Jughead unwrapped a sandwich and dug in. He was starting to calm down.

When was the last time he'd eaten? A granola bar sometime in the night, and before that? Breakfast yesterday, maybe, or perhaps dinner the night before.

He washed down his first sandwich with a swig of coffee - _hot, hot, fuck_ \- and then reminded himself to pace himself. Betty hadn't even had a bite of her hotcakes yet. She was slowly drizzling syrup over them.

Jughead broke a piece of his hashbrown off, then dipped it in ketchup.

"Jughead, you can tell me anything you know." Betty said as she cut into her first hotcake with the side of her fork.

Jughead started coughing, choking on his bite of hashbrown at the unexpected words. He thought she wasn't going to bring it up.

"Jug, breathe. Take a sip of your coffee." Betty smiled.

Jughead swallowed, coughed once more, then took a sip of coffee. "Sorry," he murmured, crumbs still tripping him up. "And, yeah, Betty, thank you. I know." He took another, more cautious, bite of his hashbrown.

Betty took a big sip of her coffee. "So..."

"So what?"

"So, do you have anything to tell me?" Betty took a bite of her hotcake.

Jughead shook his head, finishing his hashbrown. "What about you? Anything to tell me?" He tried to change the topic.

"Yeah, actually." Betty leaned forward, taking a deep breath. "There's this boy I like and uh... I think I caught him sleeping over at school."

Jughead blanched.

"But he won't talk to me about it." Betty finished lamely.

Jughead rearranged his hat, tugging it lower over his ears. He took a sip of coffee, then chewed on his lip.

"Jughead..." Betty probed. She slid out of her side of the booth and in next to Jughead. "Okay, look, if you don't want to talk about it... I understand. But really, I'm here for you. You can talk to me about anything." Betty scooped up his hand and held it sandwiched in between hers.

Jughead sighed and looked Betty dead in the eye. "I was sleeping at the school, in the newspaper office."

Betty just nodded, urging him to go on, but he didn't say anything else. "Just last night?"

"And the night before." Jughead looked down.

"Okay, what about before that?"

"The Drive-In was home sweet home."

"What about your family?" Betty turned Jughead's hand over so it was palm up in her lap. She lazily drew circles around the lines in his hand, trying to calm him.

"My Dad," Jughead started, then sighed. "My Dad started drinking again, pretty heavily. With this whole Serpents thing, I just... I had to get out of there, I couldn't stand it. So I made a home of my own at the Drive-In. And then once they said they were closing it, I had to make other plans."

"Jughead, I-"

"I'm sorry I didn't feel like I could tell you, Bets. It's just so embarassing."

"Jughead it's not embarassing. It's... you're brave. You got out of a bad situation and did the best thing for yourself." Betty gave his hand one last squeeze before sliding back to her side of the booth.

Jughead smiled at Betty, then took a long swig of his coffee.

Betty finished her hotcakes quickly, then turned the conversation to an article they were writing on The Blue and Gold as Jughead finished his breakfast.

"Bets?" Jughead wiped his face with a napkin as he finished his lukewarm coffee.

She looked up and met Jughead's gaze.

"Can I ask you a huge favor?"

"Of course." Betty smiled.

"Can we just keep this between us?"

"Of course." Betty smiled at him, thinking that she would literally do anything for this boy.

He caught her eye and smirked, balling up all the sandwich wrappers, then leaned back in the booth and sighed.

"I knew something was up when you protested me treating you to breakfast." Betty smiled at him.

Jughead just laughed.

They gathered their garbage and slid out of the booth, then pushed on the double doors heavily, leaving the restaurant.

"So how was your sleep at The Blue and Gold?" Betty asked gently.

The rain was still misting outside, a heavy fog settling over Riverdale.

"Awful," Jughead admitted. "I probably got a solid six hours."

"Last night? That's not too bad."

"The last two nights." Jughead finished, looking at his shoes.

"Okay, well then, I have an idea."

"I'm listening," Jughead smiled at the pretty blonde.

"I think you're sick today."

"I'm not following."

"You've got what, a free period, gym, study hall and..." Damn, Betty couldn't remember Jughead's last class today.

"And AP English. I'm still not following, Bets." Jughead laughed. "That was impressive, though."

Betty rolled her eyes at him. "So, if you're 'sick', you can skip today. And my parents left for work half an hour ago. So, my bed is free. And you can get some rest." Betty smiled at her bright idea.

They turned at the corner instead of going straight towards school. "You'd be okay with that?" Jughead yawned. He was in no shape to protest.

"Look at you. Of course I'd be okay with that." The mist was dampening their clothes.

Betty tugged Jughead's hand so they walked a bit faster, wanting to get out of the cold.

They were both thankful when they got to Betty's house, the driveway empty.

Betty unlocked the door. "Okay, um, take off your shoes." Betty instructed. She did the same. "My Mom will notice if we leave dirty shoe prints." They both took off their shoes, Betty placed hers in the shoe rack, and Jughead held his in his hands.

Betty started up the stairs, and Jughead lingered in the doorway. "Come on," Betty prompted.

When she opened her bedroom door, Jughead smiled. Her bed was made, the blinds were open, and the room smelled so... Betty.

Betty strolled over to a drawer and pulled out a plastic bag. "Here, put your shoes on these."

Then, she strolled over to her window and drew the blinds. Jughead cocked an eyebrow at her.

"Just in case Archie comes home and sees someone sleeping in my bed that's not me." She laughed.

Jughead nodded. "Fair enough." He set his shoes down, soles up, on the plastic bag. He placed it down on the carpet, then met Betty in front of her bed. "If I haven't told you this yet... Thank you."

"Anything for you, Jughead." She meant it. She bit her lip, then turned around to fluff her pillows.

Jughead took another step closer to Betty. She turned and looked Jughead in the eye. Her eyes lowered, looking at the suspenders around his shoulders.

He never usually actually wore his suspenders how they were supposed to be worn. Usually, they were hanging behind him, hitting his legs as he walked.

Betty reached out, she couldn't help herself. She tucked her index finger under the strap, feeling how tight it was to Jughead's chest. She ran her finger up slightly, then down again, a little lower.

She liked Jughead's style. She loved the hat he never took off, his jean jacket. She especially liked when he wore henleys. But she i loved /i his suspenders.

She reached out with the other hand now, gripping both suspenders tightly. She didn't realize that she was pulling Jughead closer.

"Betty..." He just meant for it to be a quick peck on the lips, a kiss of appreciation. But when pulled him in like that, he couldn't help but deepen it.

Betty sucked Jughead's bottom lip in between hers, trailing her small hands up the back of his neck and into his hair.

She knocked off his hat by accident, but Jughead didn't notice. He was too busy trailing his tongue across Betty's bottom lip and into her mouth, their chests heaving.

They broke apart, both of them smiling. "Jughead, that was, I -" Betty tripped over her words.

Jughead sighed contentedly. "To be continued?"

Betty nodded.

"You're going to be late to first period."

Betty laughed gently. "I'm not worried. It's just gym. So, make yourself at home. There's bottled water in the fridge downstairs, and you can use the shower, if you want. Just make sure to put the towels you use in here, so my Mom doesn't find them. They should be home from work by 4:30, so I'll leave my phone here so that you can set an alarm. If my Mom finds you asleep in my bed..." Betty trailed off.

"Don't worry, Bets. I'll set the alarm for 3:30, just to be safe. A couple solid hours of sleep would be amazing, that's all I need." He smiled at her, and grabbed her hand. "Thank you," He said again.

"Anything for you, Jughead. I'm going to stay after school to finish my article for The Blue and Gold, so I won't be here when you get back. Oh, shit." Betty stopped suddenly.

"What?" Jughead's eyebrows knit together in concern.

"Is that -" Betty turned to look out the window. "Is that ladder still there? You won't be able to lock the door behind you when you leave and my parents would definitely notice an unlocked door."

Jughead nodded. "The ladder's still there. It's close enough, anyway. I could use that to leave."

Betty grimaced. "Is that okay?"

"Of course, Bets."

Betty handed over her phone so he could set an alarm, said her goodbyes and turned to shut her bedroom door behind her.

* * *

The sky was darkening as Betty entered her house a few minutes after 6 o'clock that evening.

"Betty?" Alice Cooper called as soon as Betty shut the heavy front door.

"It's me, Mom." Betty called after placing her shoes in the shoe rack. She padded into the dining room where the table was set for dinner.

"Dinner will be ready in a few minutes." Her Mom stirred something on the stove.

Betty took a sip of the water that was placed at her spot at the table. "Okay, I'm just going to wash up and change. I'll be right back."

Betty went upstairs and to the washroom, then padded down the hall to her room. She was going to change into a cozy sweater and put on her slippers.

She flicked on her bedroom light and almost had a heart attack - she didn't expect a large, dark haired figure to still be asleep in her bed.

She checked to make sure neither of her parents were anywhere in the hall, and closed her bedroom door behind her.

"Jughead!" She whispered, shaking his shoulder. "Jughead, wake up!" She hissed. She didn't want to sound mean, but she could just imagine what her Mom would do to them if she found them in here.

The pillow was slightly damp beneath his head. He must've showered before he fell asleep.

Jughead stirred, taking a deep breath. Then, he must have realized where he was as his eyes opened. He shot up in Betty's bed.

"Shit, what time is it?"Jughead rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

"Six something, I'm not sure. What happened?" Betty asked in a quiet voice.

Jughead reached for Betty's phone, still next to him on the bedside table. "Fuck, I set it for 3:30 A.M. instead of 3:30 P.M. I'm so sorry, Betty." He said quietly.

Betty shook her head, then took off her button down shirt. "It's okay, it's okay." She wriggled out of the sleeves. "We're about to eat dinner." Betty walked across the floor and reached in her closet for her biggest, coziest sweater.

Jughead nodded.

"I'll try to bring you something." She promised. "If we're sitting at the dining room table, nobody would hear you climb out the window. If my Mom's in the kitchen, she might see you. So, you might be stuck here until they go to bed." Betty smiled.

"Okay, good plan. Just one thing, though."

Betty was walking across the room, reaching for her bedroom door. "What's that?"

"I have to pee."

* * *

Betty had just taken her last bite of spaghetti when the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it," She murmured, wiping her hands on a napkin.

She strolled over to the front door.

"Jughead, hey! What are you doing here?" She called loudly. Good thing the ladder was still propped by her window. He had shimmied down while they were eating dinner.

"You're a terrible actress." Jughead whispered quietly, smiling at her. "I'm here to read over your article for the Blue and Gold. Did you forget? I thought we said 6:30." He came into the hall, sliding his shoes off.

"Betty, come in here, please." She heard her mother call from the dining room.

Jughead just stood there, waiting.

"Doors _open_!" Was the last thing Jughead heard before he saw Betty return to the hall, a bag of chips in hand.

"After you." Betty smiled and raised a hand gesturing to the stairs.

When they got to the top, Jughead went straight for the bathroom.

Betty was on the floor when Jughead walked into her room, her legs crossed beneath her.

"Hey Jug?" Betty asked in a murmur, looking up at him.

Jughead raised an eyebrow in response.

"What about tonight?"

"What _about_ tonight, Bets?" He sat across from her.

"Where are you going to go?" She opened her laptop so that if her Mom walked in, they could look like they were working.

"Probably back to the school, if I get there before they lock up."

"What about telling Archie? I know they have a spare room." Betty suggested.

Jughead sighed and shook his head. "We're not as close as we once were. I... I will if I have to, I guess. I could go to my Dad's trailer, really. But I've applied to a couple jobs, places that seem... relaxed. Places that wouldn't notice if I moved in." He said the last two words lightly, as if it was a big joke.

Betty knew he just didn't want her to worry, but she did.

"Jughead..."

"I'll be okay, Bets. I'll figure it out. I always do."


End file.
